Belt clip and locking fastener for selectively securing an electronic device

ABSTRACT

A combined belt clip and locking fastener is provided which is adapted for selectively securing an electronic device such as a cellular telephone or Personal Digital Assistant to a belt or other object.

[0001] This application claims priority of pending U.S. Design patentapplication Ser. No. 29/163,110, filed Jun. 26, 2002, and isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to selectively attachable holdersdesigned for interconnection to a belt or pocket, and more specifically,a molded belt clip and fastener for selectively holding a cellular phoneor other device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Cellular telephones, pagers, family radios, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), and other similar electronic devices have becomeincreasingly popular, with many people carrying these devices on theirbelts or a pocket. The inevitable advances in technology will surelybring about new items that users will want to carry on their belts sothat they are easily accessible.

[0004] Various means of clipping small items to a user's belt have beenin use for many years. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,115, assignedto the cell phone manufacturer NOKIA®, teaches a carrying device thatemploys a hand-operated slide which includes an element to deflect aspring to release a lock. The device employs a button which is sewn on acase that the phone slips into. The other portion of the holding deviceis clipped to the user's belt and employs a locking feature. The userinserts the button into the lock which allows for storage or hands-freeuse. To disengage the cell phone from the holding device, the user mustrelease a locking mechanism. These type of locks have the disadvantageof being made from many parts which can be time consuming to manufacturedue to the extensive assembly required, and thus expensive.

[0005] The traditional lock release can be inadvertently activatedcausing the item to become dislodged and possibly damaged in a fall.Also, failure of these types of mechanisms may happen fairly quickly.Failure of the locking spring and the clip housing are common, whichwill cause the cell phone to become dislodged from the locking mechanismand possibly damaged in a fall.

[0006] Separable fasteners with a single piece locking feature are alsoknown in the art. For example, the MOD-U-LOCK® attachment system builtby the National Molding Corporation and sold commercially by DURAFLEX®is a fastener which utilizes the elastic properties of plastic to lock abutton into place. The locking portion includes a flexible tab with alocking lip and a pocket to receive a button, and is released byapplying finger pressure against an upper portion of the tab. However,these fasteners are sewn into existing materials, and provide no meansfor removable interconnection to a belt, pocket, or other object.

[0007] Another drawback of the separable fasteners is that they havelimited applications outside use with soft compliant items. When a userapplies pressure to a tab, it is deflected to achieve a sufficient gapso that a button, which is interconnected to a device, can be easilyslipped into and out of the locking pocket without interference with thelocking lip on the tab. In current low-profile lock designs, a deflectedtab will come in contact with the item the lock is attached to. If thelock is attached to a compliant item, a nylon bag for example, pressurefrom the tab will deflect the item and a sufficient gap will besupplied. If the item to which the locking portion of the separablefastener is not compliant, a deflected tab may not be able to provide asufficient gap for the insertion of a button. Fasteners in use today arelow profile, and as such lack a sufficient gap when deflected to be usedon non-compliant materials.

[0008] There is thus a significant need for a one-piece integrallymolded interconnection system which can be selectively attached to abelt or pocket and which comprises a locking mechanism which selectivelysecures a cellular phone, radio, or PDA. There is a further need for asimplistic interconnection system which requires no assembly, isdurable, and can be used for a multitude of applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is thus one aspect of the present invention to provide adetachable fastener that attaches to a user's belt and selectivelysecures an electronic device, while eliminating post-manufacturing stepsof assembly and the costs associated therewith. Thus, the detachablefastener of the present invention does not employ springs or other meansto disengage the lock, since the resilient properties of the moldedplastic perform the required function. By attaching a belt clip of thepresent design the same functionality of a spring actuated belt clip canbe achieved, without the numerous components and costs associatedtherein.

[0010] It is another aspect of the present invention that the singlepiece design be light, strong, and less susceptible to breakage andjamming due to the reduction of movable parts. Also, the single piecedesign will have no metal parts which could be prone to corrosion andtend to activate metal detectors. Due to the single piece design and theelimination of post manufacturing steps, significant time and expensescan be saved.

[0011] It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide aselectable fastener which has a multitude of possible designs, and whichcan readably changed with a revision of the mold. Thus, the shape anddesign of the clip can be changed easily, as well as the color. Inaddition, the clip can be molded with flat areas for the attachment ofcompany logos or other advertisements, or the desired indicia can beetched or molded directly onto the clip.

[0012] It is another aspect of the present invention that a portion ofthe separable lock have a button which interfaces with the lockingportion of the fastener by sliding into a pocket. This button can beselectively attached to any number of electronic devices, tools, orcarrying pouches, such as a cell phone, pager, PDA, MP3 player, CDplayer, diagnostic device, radio, tape cassette player, health monitor,hammer, tape measure, inventory device, water bottle, flashlight, gunholster, pouch, hand cuff holder, knife case, and time piece (hereafter“electronic device”). The attachment of the button to the electronicdevice depends on the application, but the button may be sewn, glued,integrally molded, screwed, riveted, clipped, taped, or tied to theitem, as appreciated by one skilled in the art. Finally, items of thesame general size may fit into the same lock depending on the shape ofthe interface portion of the lock and interconnecting button.

[0013] In another aspect of the present invention, a belt clip isintegrally interconnected to the locking portion of the separablefastener, and is joined by a thinner, flexible section of plastic. Bysqueezing together the finger and thumb tabs on the clip and lock, thethinner section of plastic will resiliently deflect, thereby allowingremovable attachment to a user's belt. The lock portion will similarlyuse the same materials, and the tab attached to the locking portion maybe easily deflected to allow insertion and removal of the button that isattached to the electronic device.

[0014] In another aspect of the present invention, the locking portionof the integral assembly is attached to the belt clip via a spring andpin combination, and thus does not utilize the one-piece integral molddiscussed above, but is still simplistic in design, simplistic tomanufacture, and cost effective.

[0015] It is another aspect of the present invention that the holder maybe used to carry larger items that, due to their shape and/or size, auser would find difficult to disengage the lock on the clip. In thisembodiment, the locking portion would employ a pocket, but no movabletab. In contrast, the locking portion is equipped with a smallprotrusion which in turn interfaces with a tab on the button.Disengagement is achieved by flexing the tab toward the item, therebyreleasing the interface. In addition, the connection between the clipmay not have a reduced thickness, but rather will have the samedimensions as the joined pieces to increase the strength of the holderto accommodate heavier items.

[0016] In each of the above mentioned aspects of the invention, a buttonthat is selectively interconnected to the electronic device will beused. The interface portion of the button will dictate the mobility ofthe item when it is installed in the lock's pocket and engaged in alocked position. For example, a round interface will allow the item torotate, whereas a square interface will constrain the item to presentrotation, while an interface which is notched will allow the user to seta desired rotation angle in a preferred position of use.

[0017] It is another aspect of the present invention that there is asufficient gap integrated into the locking portion of the integralassembly such that there is sufficient space for the tab on the lock tobe deflected. Additional advantages of the present invention will becomereadily apparent from the following discussion, particularly whenincorporated with the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Thus, in one aspect of the present invention a one-piece carrieradapted for interconnection to a belt or other object is providedcomprising:

[0019] a belt clip having an upper end, a lower end, an internalsurface, and an external surface;

[0020] a locking portion having an upper end, a lower end, and a lockingpocket positioned there between;

[0021] a resilient interconnection means operably connecting said upperend of said belt clip portion and said locking portion, wherein saidlower end of said belt clip portion and said locking portion can beselectively opened for interconnection to a belt or other object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022]FIG. 1 is perspective view of a first embodiment of an integralbelt clip and locking fastener;

[0023]FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[0024]FIG. 3 is a left elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[0025]FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG.1;

[0026]FIG. 5 is a front elevation and a plan view of a square engagementbutton used with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[0027]FIG. 6 is a front elevation and a plan view of a round engagementbutton used with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[0028]FIG. 7 is a front elevation and a plan view of a notchedengagement button used with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[0029]FIG. 8 is a left elevation view of the button attached to anelectronic device and a method of insertion into the embodiment shown inFIG. 1;

[0030]FIG. 9 is a left elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1interconnected to a belt and the electronic device selectively securedthereto;

[0031]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention;

[0032]FIG. 11 is a rear elevation view of the invention shown in FIG.10;

[0033]FIG. 12 is a left elevation view of the invention shown in FIG.10;

[0034]FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of the invention shown in FIG.10;

[0035]FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the invention shown in FIG. 10;

[0036]FIG. 15 is a left elevation view of an alternative embodiment ofthe present invention;

[0037]FIG. 16 is a rear elevation view of an alternative embodiment ofthe present invention;

[0038]FIG. 17 is a left elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG.16;

[0039]FIG. 18 is a front elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG.16;

[0040]FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of a button with an extendedtab;

[0041]FIG. 20 is a right elevation view of the button with extended tabshown in FIG. 19;

[0042]FIG. 21 is a left elevation view of the button with an extendedtab attached to an item and the method of insertion into the embodimentshown in FIG. 16;

[0043]FIG. 22 is a left elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG.16 interconnected to a user's belt and an electronic device selectivelysecured thereto;

[0044]FIG. 23 is a rear elevation view of an alternative embodiment;

[0045]FIG. 24 is a left elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG.23;

[0046]FIG. 25 is a front elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG.23;

[0047]FIG. 26 is a front elevation view of a resilient engagementbutton;

[0048]FIG. 27 is a right section view of a resilient engagement button;

[0049]FIG. 28 is a top plan view of a resilient engagement button; and

[0050]FIG. 29 is a rear elevation view that shows an example of a hardstop.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, one embodiment of the presentinvention is shown herein. In general, a one-piece integral belt clipholder (60) is a union of a belt clip (10) and a locking portion (30) ofa separable fastener which are attached by a web (31) of plastic orother material with resilient properties such as rubber, etc. The web(31) is resilient to allow for attachment to a belt when pressure isapplied to the finger grip on the clip portion (12) and the finger gripon the lock portion (13). Alternatively, the lower portions of the beltclip (10) and the locking portion (30) may be pulled apart to allow forselective interconnection to a belt or other object. The lock portion(30) employs a flexible plastic tab (15) with a lip (16) that secures abutton and prevents upward movement and disengagement from the lockportion (30). Alternatively, other types of residual materials commonlyknown in the art may be used, including rubber, polyethylene, etc. Alocking pocket (19) constrains the non-locking portion of the separablefastener, and consists of a front wall (17), a back wall (18), and sidepocket walls (22). When the tab (15) is flexed, the non-locking portionremains supported in the pocket and is easily disengaged. The belt clipportion (10) may be equipped with a hook (11) which will help maintainthe unit on the user's belt. Both portions of the belt clip (10) and thelocking portion (30) of the separable fastener are integrally moldedwith open molded spaces (14 & 21) which eliminates assembly, inherentlabor costs, and the expenses related thereto.

[0052] Referring now to FIGS. 5-7 and FIGS. 26-27, a non-locking portionof the separable fastener is shown. This item is referred to herein as abutton(40), and is generally comprised of a plastic material such aspolypropylene, polyethylene, etc. The button's attachment surface (41)is connected to the pocket interface (42) by a stem (46) such that thebutton (40) is easily slipped into the pocket of the lock. In oneembodiment, the interconnecting stem (46) and/or the attachment area(41) may be made of rubber or other resilient material capable ofdeflection which will decrease the leverage on the button and electronicdevice interface when a force is applied to a portion of the electronicdevice. The stem (46) is not limited to a cylindrical shape. Forexample, a rectangularly shaped stem (46) can be used which wouldprovide resiliency in one direction and greater stiffness in the others.Also, at the button to electronic device interface, a resilient materialwill provide a better bond between the button attachment surface (41)and the electronic device because the resilient material will be capableof deflection and conformance to the electronic device that may have anon-planar shape. The interface portion (42) dictates the mobility ofthe item when it is locked in the pocket. More specifically, a squareshape will give a user substantially no rotation, while a round buttonshape will allow for free rotation. Alternatively in one embodiment ,notches (43) may be employed to provide a variety of rotationalpositions depending on the preferred application.

[0053] The button (40) is selectively interconnected to an electronicdevice or an electronic device carrying pouch by many means includingsewn, glued, integrally molded, clipped, screwed, riveted, taped, ortied to the electronic device. The button (40) may further employ arivet hole (45) or stitching holes (44) to facilitate interconnectionwith an electronic device or electronic device carrying pouch.

[0054] Referring now to FIG. 8, the locking function of one embodimentof the present invention is illustrated herein. More specifically, thebutton (40) is shown interconnected to the electronic device (50), whilethe integral belt clip and holder (60) is shown with a tab (15) in thelocked position. To lock the electronic device (50) into place, in oneembodiment the user applies pressure to the tab (15) in the direction ofthe clip portion (10) of the integral assembly (60). Alternativelyembodiments may employ release mechanisms which are pushed in differentdirections to release. After pressure is applied to the tab (15), thereis an unobstructed path for the button (40) to engage the pocket (19).That is, the button interface (42) can be easily guided downward intothe lock pocket (19). When the user releases the pressure on the tab(15) the locking portion of the tab (16) will prevent the buttoninterface (42) from traveling upward. Thus, the electronic device (50)is released by the application of pressure to the tab (15) towards theclip portion (10) of the integral assembly (60) thereby deflecting thetab, separating the lock (16) and button interface (42), and providingan unobstructed path in which the electronic device can travel in anupward direction.

[0055] The requisite pressure that deflects the tab (15) prior to theintroduction of the button interface (42) into the pocket (19) can besupplied by the interface (42) itself. More specifically, the user caninitiate the downward motion of the electronic device (50) into thepocket (19) without touching the tab (15). Thus, the contact of theinterface (42) with the tab (15), along with the downward force suppliedby the user, will sufficiently deflect the tab (15) so that theinterface (42) will engage the pocket (19).

[0056] Referring now to FIG. 9, the button (40) is shown interconnectedto the electronic device (50), while the belt clip(10) is attached tothe user's (5) belt. The tab (15) of the lock (30) has been flexedtowards the user (5), while the button interface has been seated in thepocket (19), and the tab (15) has been released. Thus, the button hasbeen prevented from upward motion by the lock (16).

[0057] Referring now to FIGS. 10-14, a second embodiment of the presentintention is shown herein. This embodiment is similar to the firstembodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1-9, but the singlepiece molding is modified to simplify manufacturing because “side pulls”on the mold are not required. In some molding processes side pulls arerequired to form holes or cavities into the final product. By deletingthe need for side pulls, an integral design is moldable using atwo-piece mold construction, and more clips can be made using a singlemold. The requirement of side pulls adds complexity and cost to themolding operation. More specifically, the belt clip portion (10) isconstructed slightly longer than the locking portion (30). In addition,the belt clip finger grip is split into two pieces (12A & 12B).

[0058] Referring now to FIG. 15, a third embodiment of the presentinvention is shown herein that employs a pin (7) and spring mechanism toconnect the locking (30) and clip (10) portions of the unit. Morespecifically, the pressure on the finger grips (12 & 13) is reduced bythe use of a pin and spring such that selective interconnection to auser's belt or other object is more easily performed.

[0059] Referring now to FIGS. 16-20, a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention is shown herein which is more durable and specificallydesigned for larger items such as radios, CD players, PDAs, inventorydevices, water bottles, etc. In this embodiment of the presentinvention, the locking feature (3) on the integral assembly (60) is notattached to a flexible tab. Instead, the locking portion (30) employs asmall protrusion (3), which interfaces with a flexible tab (2) on thebutton (40) when the button is seated in the pocket (19) and the tab (2)is released. Further, the halves are connected by a thicker interface(32) which increases the strength of the unit.

[0060] Referring now to FIG. 21, the locking function of one embodimentof the present invention is illustrated herein. More specifically, thebutton (40) is shown interconnected to a sleeve (36) on a larger device(50), while the integral belt clip and holder (60) is shown with astationary locking protrusion (3). The sleeve (36) may be used toselectively secure the larger device (50) to the button (40) ifattachment locations on the item (50) are not feasible. To lock thedevice into place the user applies pressure to the tab (2) on the button(40) in the direction of the device (50). After pressure is applied tothe tab (15) there is an unobstructed path for the button (40) to engagethe pocket (19), that is, the button interface (42) can be easily guideddownward into the lock pocket (19). When the user releases the pressureon the tab (2), the locking portion of the integral assembly (3) willprevent the button interface (42) from traveling upward because aportion of the tab (2) will interface with the lock (3). The item isreleased by the application of pressure to the tab (2) towards thedevice (50) thereby deflecting the tab, separating the lock (3) and thetab interface (4), and providing an unobstructed path in which thedevice can be moved upward.

[0061] The requisite pressure that deflects the tab (2) prior to theintroduction of the button interface (42) into the pocket (19) can besupplied by the interface (4) itself. More specifically, the user caninitiate the downward motion of the device into the pocket withouttouching the tab (2). The contact of the interface (4) with the lock(3), along with the downward force supplied by the user, willsufficiently deflect the tab (2) so that the button interface (42) willbe able to be seated into the pocket (19).

[0062] Referring now to FIG. 22, the button (40) is shown interconnectedto the larger device (50), while the belt clip(10) is attached to theuser's (5) belt. The tab (2) of the button (40) has been flexed towardsthe device (50), the button interface has been seated in the pocket(19), the tab (2) has been released, and the button has been preventedfrom upward motion by the contact of the interface (4) with the lock(3).

[0063] Referring now to FIGS. 23-25, a fifth embodiment of the presentinvention is shown that employs a thick connection interface (32), butis substantially similar to the first two embodiment described withrespect to some aspects of the locking feature. In order for any lockingmechanism to work properly, a gap (70) must be integrated into thelocking portion (30) of the integral design to allow unrestricted travelof the locking tab (15). This gap (70) will extend from the back surfaceof the locking portion (71) to the back wall of the locking pocket(18A). When the user deflects the tab (15), the gap (70) will providesufficient deflection of the tab (15) so that the button (40) will notcome in contact with the locking lip (16) when a user inserts andremoves a device from the integral assembly (60). The greater the gap(70), the easier and quicker the button can be inserted and releasedfrom the pocket and lock.

[0064] Referring now to FIG. 29, a “hard stop” is shown. As used herein,a hard stop (1) is any type of backing material, detent, or othermechanism which prevents the tab (15) from extending or deflecting pasta predetermined position. The predetermined position may be dictated bythe maximum deflection the tab (15) can move without incurring damage.To engage and disengage a button from the integral assembly (60), a usermust depress the tab (15) toward the belt clip (10) of the integralassembly. Extreme deflections of the tab (15) may fatigue the materialsuch that it will be permanently deformed or break. In order to preventthis detrimental effect, the hard stop (1) may be added to the belt clipportion (10) of the integral assembly (60). When a user applies pressureon the tab (15) towards the belt clip portion (10), the tab (15) willdeflect enough for engagement or disengagement of a button, but the tab(15) will be stopped from further deflection when it comes in contactwith the hard stop (1). Preferably, the hard stop (1) is moldedintegrally with the belt clip (10).

[0065] Further, the hard stop (1) may be added to or molded onto the tab(15) of the locking portion (30) of the integral assembly (60) asopposed to the belt clip (10), as discussed above. When a user appliespressure on the tab (15) towards the belt clip portion (10), the tab(15) will deflect enough for engagement or disengagement of a button,but the tab (15) will be stopped from further deflection when the hardstop (1) on the tab (15) comes in contact with the belt clip portion(10).

[0066] To provide clarity to the various components found in thedrawings, and the numbering of the various components provided herein: #Component  1 Hard Stop  2 Extended Tab  3 Locking Protrusion  4 Extendedtab/Protrusion interface location  5 User  7 Pin 10 Belt clip portion 11Hook 12 Belt Clip Finger Grip 12A Belt Clip Finger Grip 12B Belt ClipFinger Grip 13 Locking Portion Finger Grip 14 Open molding area 15 Tab16 Locking Lip 17 Front wall of locking pocket 17A Front wall of lockingpocket (Looking from the belt clip) 18 Back wall of locking pocket 18ABack wall of locking pocket (Looking from the belt clip) 19 LockingPocket 21 Open molding space 22 Side pocket walls 30 Lock portion 31 Web32 Belt clip/Lock portion interface 36 Sleeve 40 Button 41 Buttonattachment surface 42 Button/Locking pocket interface 43 Button notches44 Stitch holes 45 Rivet hole 46 Stem 50 Electronic Device or other item60 Integral Belt Clip and Holder 70 Gap 71 Back surface of lockingportion

[0067] While various embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptationsof those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, itis to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptationsare within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forthin the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece carrier for an electronic devicewhich is adapted for removable interconnection to an object, comprising:a belt clip having an upper end, a lower end, an internal surface, andan external surface; a locking portion having an upper end, a lower end,and two lateral edges positioned therebetween, said locking portionincluding a releasable, locking pocket to receive at least a portion ofa button interconnected to the electronic device, wherein the electronicdevice can be selectively secured and released from said lockingportion; a resilient interconnection means operably connecting saidupper end of said belt clip portion and said locking portion, whereinsaid lower end of said belt clip portion and said releasable lockingpocket can be selectively opened for interconnection to a belt or otherobject.
 2. A one-piece carrier for an electronic device which is adaptedfor removable interconnection to an object, comprising: a belt cliphaving an upper end, a lower end, an internal surface, and an externalsurface; a locking portion having an upper end which is resilientlyinterconnected to said upper end of said belt clip, a lower end, and twolateral edges positioned therebetween, said locking portion including areleasable, locking pocket to receive at least a portion of a buttoninterconnected to the electronic device, wherein the electronic devicecan be selectively secured and released from said locking portion.